


Turn Toward the Sun

by singingwithoutwords



Series: A Life in Garden Metaphors [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Caring, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 15:19:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1190010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singingwithoutwords/pseuds/singingwithoutwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At times like this, like a flower tilting its blossom toward the sun, Tony turns to Rhodey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn Toward the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place immediately after the events of Iron Man 2 and is basically just Tony and Rhodey's heterosexual life partnership in action.

Pepper was at a loss.

She'd gotten Tony home and out of his armor, and honestly, she'd expected him to drag her onto the nearest upholstered surface and start tearing her clothes off. Because that was what people did, riding the adrenaline spike of mortal danger- they turned into animals and had dirty, primal sex. And Pepper was prepared for that, perfectly willing to sleep with Tony and regret it in the morning.

But none of that appeared to be happening.

Pepper sat on the couch, watching Tony pace the length of the living room. He kept glancing out the plastic sheeting over the broken windows, toward the door, at her, repeat, endlessly. Every part of him was twitching, fidgeting, and he wouldn't stop tapping his fingers against the reactor in his chest.

She'd tried talking to him, but his answers had been only a word or two, when they were words at all. He hadn't been this anxious and tense even after having to kill Stane and then pretend to mourn the man. This was a Tony she didn't know, and this Tony scared her.

The tense and uncomfortable silence was broken by JARVIS's voice, and even _he_ sounded off- less like the long-suffering electronic butler he was and more like a concerned parent speaking to a frightened child. “He's here, sir.”

'He' turned out to be Rhodey, who stepped through the door in civilian clothing and carrying a brown paper bag that smelled strongly of fried chicken.

Tony changed in an instant, all the little tics and twitches screeching to a halt, his nervous frown melting into a relieved smile. “You came.”

“You did call,” Rhodey said, stepping over a pile of debris and setting the bag down on a corner of the coffee table. “Pepper.”

“Rhodey,” she said politely, not sure if she should ask what he was doing here or just leave.

“Please don't take this the wrong way,” he told her with an apologetic smile before turning to Tony. “Is she staying?”

Tony glanced down at her, then back up at Rhodey, one hand shifting up to drum his fingernails against the reactor again. “I- should she?”

“Do you trust her?” Rhodey asked, and Pepper found herself wondering if there could possibly be a _right_ way to take this conversation.

Tony hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. She... yeah. So she's staying?”

“Sit down,” Rhodey said, smiling, and to Pepper's utter shock, Tony sat. “Now stay there a second. Pepper, can I talk to you?”

Pepper stood, smoothing down her skirt, and nodded. “Of course.”

Rhodey offered her a hand to help her past the piles of dislodged wall, ceiling, and floor that littered the living room, leading her off to the side but still within sight of the couch.

“Tony's letting you stay,” Rhodey said, holding up a hand to forestall Pepper's indignant response. “That's a big thing, you'll see why in a minute. But he's trusting you, so you have to swear to me that you'll take what's about to happen to your grave.”

Pepper frowned, glancing back toward the couch. Tony hadn't moved, still sprawled where she'd left him, not even looking at them. “I'm not sure I understand.”

“You don't need to,” Rhodey told her. “Are you gonna swear, or do I need to escort you out? Because unless you give me your word, I'm not letting you near Tony right now.”

There was a protective growl underlying Rhodey's words, something she'd never heard there before. And while she still had no idea what was going on, she knew Rhodey well enough to know he wasn't exaggerating- he would call her a cab and put her in it himself if he had to. And if she intended to pursue a relationship with Tony, maybe this was something she just needed to get used to.

“I swear,” she agreed. “To my grave.”

Rhodey smiled down at her. “Good. You're good for him.”

He led her back to the couch, over the maze of damage, and got her situated before sitting down himself, between her and Tony.

“Hanging in there, Tones?” he asked. Tony hummed. “You hungry?” Tony nodded once. “Okay.”

The bag did indeed contain fried chicken. There was a bucket of chicken, a pile of napkins, and a few paper plates that had obviously been shoved in separately. Rhodey took one of the plates and a breast, peeling off the skin and tearing the meat into bite-sized chunks.

And started feeding them to Tony.

And Tony didn't object. Tony, who couldn't stand to be handed so much as a sheet of paper, sat placidly on the couch with his eyes closed and let Rhodey feed him like an overgrown child. Pepper would have expected him to at least make a tasteless joke about it, but he didn't say anything at all.

Rhodey nudged the bucket toward her, shaking his head sharply when she opened her mouth to say something. Pepper considered herself a fairly intelligent woman, and she recognized a non-verbal “shut up and eat” when she saw one. She picked up a plate and napkin, selected a small drumstick, and set to nibbling on it, stealing curious glances at Rhodey and Tony between bites.

She was on her second drumstick and Tony most of the way through the chicken breast when another shocking thing happened- Tony fell asleep. He slumped sideways, toward Rhodey, who shifted to support him with practiced ease, sliding the plate of half-finished chicken onto the coffee table. Pepper set down her own plate, wiping grease off her hands, and hesitated.

“Just keep your voice down,” Rhodey said softly, sliding an arm around Tony's shoulders. Tony, who was all for casual contact when he initiated it but shied away from so much as an unexpected handshake, shifted close enough to Rhodey to _snuggle_ him.

“What's going on?” Pepper asked, keeping her voice low to match Rhodey's. “Was there something in that chicken?”

Rhodey glanced over his shoulder at her, making it clear without words what he thought of that suggestion. “It's been rough for him lately,” he said at length. “Now he knows it's over.”

Pepper hadn't forgotten about Tony dying by a long shot, but now didn't seem like the time. “Does this happen often?” she asked instead.

“No. Only when he really needs it. Pass me that blanket?”

Pepper touched the blanket over the arm next to her, grimacing. It was covered in dust and bits of drywall. “I'll get you a clean one,” she offered, slipping off her heels to make crossing the room easier.

She managed to reach the hall linen closet without incident and make it back to the couch with a pale blue fleece. Rhodey took it and carefully draped it over himself and Tony. The position looked oddly protective, considering they were both grown men.

“You can find a bed if you want,” Rhodey told her. “With any luck he'll sleep through the night now, and I'm not moving until he wakes up.”

Pepper shook her head. She'd brought a second fleece, and folded herself into the corner of the couch under it. “I'll stay here.”

Rhodey smiled, freeing a hand and holding it out to her. She took it, and he squeezed her fingers gently. “You're good for him,” he said once more. “He's lucky to have you.”

“He's lucky to have _you_ ,” Pepper replied. She'd expected Tony to pass out at some point, but never in a million years would she have expected Tony to slip into peaceful sleep after eating actual food. She didn't understand what exactly she'd just witnessed, but Rhodey was right- it was something big. And if she was going to continue to be good for Tony, it was nice to know she wouldn't be doing it alone. Maybe someday she'd understand.

Rhodey let her hand go. Pepper cocooned herself in her blanket and closed her eyes. She was going to be sore in the morning, but she was fairly certain Tony was worth it.


End file.
